‘BURN THIS’
Lanford Wilson’s heralded 1987 play will go into previews Wednesday and then open April 3 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays through May 1. Tickets are $20-$65. For more information, call 213-628-2772 or visit centertheatregroup.org.
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Craig Schwartz/Contributed photo
Zabryna Guevara, who plays Anna in "Burn This," loves the way the play is open to interpretation. "When we got into rehearsals I started to fully realize how much is going on in between the lines," Guevara said.

Craig Schwartz

Nicholas Martin is not alone when he calls the 1987 Broadway production of Lanford Wilson's "Burn This" one of the most memorable and influential of his lifetime. Many critics raved about the searing drama, which had its premiere earlier that year at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and they praised the performances of John Malkovich and Joan Allen

Martin, the former artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, considers Wilson one of the five greatest playwrights to emerge during the last half of the 20th century. "Burn This" is a big reason why, not to mention "Talley's Folly," which earned Wilson the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1980.

"Burn This" is returning to the Mark Taper next week for a revival that Martin is directing. As he's worked on this new production, Martin has been careful not to reminisce with people who recall the original.

"I'm interested in what people remember, but I have got to do my production with my people," Martin said after a day of rehearsal. "It's a challenge, because this play has perhaps more impact than any play of its time — and perhaps even since — on actors and audiences."

Wilson's four-character drama is centered on the death of a dancer named Robbie, who was gay. His roommates are Anna, a choreographer, and Larry. Anna's lover is Burton. And the play's wild card is Robbie's drug-using brother Pale, who finds a connection with Anna.

Zabryna Guevara and Adam Rothenberg are tackling the roles of Anna and Pale, made famous by Allen and Malkovich.

"Malkovich's performance was impressive and insane," Martin recalled. "He cast a shadow on the role. And there's no way you can do the role without some of the fire he had. But there's plenty of room for other actors to play it. And all of them want to."

"Burn This" is open to interpretation because, as critics have noted, much of the play is suggested instead of spoken.

New York Times critic Ben Brantley gave a somewhat negative review in 1987. But he saw it differently during a 2002 revival starring Edward Norton and Catherine Keener. Brantley wrote, "I left the theater thinking that while Mr. Malkovich was an exceptional presence, 'Burn This' was not an exceptional play. Ouch! How wrong I was."

One difference in directors' visions for "Burn This!" concern its pacing. The running time can vary by more than a half-hour, depending on the tact a director takes.

"I am Mr. Pacing," Martin said. "Ask anyone and they will say my rehearsals frequently degenerate into 'Let's move it along.' I think this play feels like Lanford sat down and wrote it in one fell swoop and it needs to be presented in that way. There is room for pauses, but not like the ones you see in daytime TV acting where every line is thought about. The pauses need to be earned."

While Martin's memories of "Burn This!" remain strong, Guevara's take on the play is completely fresh because she's never seen it.

"When we got into rehearsals I started to fully realize how much is going on in between the lines," Guevara said. "The text has the characters and motivations, but to reach deeper than the words has become a nice exploration in terms of my craft. I need to find what's not being said. It's a titillating experience."

Martin is aware that those who saw the show at the Taper in 1987 may flashback to that production, particularly because the set design is similar. But he believes "Burn This" will feel familiar and fresh at the same time.

"If any play doesn't need to be reinvented, this is it," he said. "I just want to come up to the greatness of the script."